It All Starts With Steam
by Patronizing
Summary: Retired General Iroh doesn't like the current pairings, so he decides to do something about it. What happens when his plans involve getting his nephew and a certain waterbender together? Find out. Water and Fire make Steam. Zutara!
1. Chapter 1: Steam

**(A/N: This is a Zutara Fanfic based on the Towel Scene [Johnny] in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Tehehehehe *cheeky grin*)**

******Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA**.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Steam:**

The early morning sun rays shone down through the wide balcony window and onto the dining table below, where Katara, her friends and the royal family were seated. She was lightly nibbling on an apple, whilst listening to her brother, Sokka, tell jokes. Of course, she did not find them funny.

"And then I was like, ha! Good luck with that!" he said, and everyone laughed. She rolled her eyes at her brother. She looked towards each person and saw that they were all, clearly, in good spirits. Katara was sitting to her brother's left. His girlfriend, Suki, was on his right. Her gaze shifted from the couple and fell onto everyone else seated at the oval shaped dining table. The first thing she noticed was the seat between Mai and Lady Ursa was empty. It was directly in front of her seat and it was the head of the table so she couldn't miss it. It was Zuko's seat. She wondered where the new Fire Lord was this morning. Next to Mai, was Ty Lee, and between her and Suki were three Kyoshi Warriors. On Katara's left sat Aang and on his left, was Toph. Then it was Haru, Teo, The Duke, Iroh and back to Lady Ursa again.

The reason everyone was so jolly, was because last year, they had found Lady Ursa. She was living in the middle ring of Bah Sing Se. It took them a year to get the location of Lady Ursa out of ex-Fire Lord Ozai, but they did it. Well, Katara did it. She was rewarded with a bright smile and a _very _happy Zuko. When they found his mother, he was beyond ecstatic. The group were now together once again, a year later, today. Katara and Sokka were the last to show up yesterday. They arrived at the Fire Nation in the afternoon, for the celebration of Zuko's 18th birthday.

Iroh watched as Katara looked around the table, when her eyes landed on his nephew's seat, he noticed the quick frown she gave in its direction. In his opinion, he was saddened by the pairings that happened once the war had ended. Not all the couples, just Katara and Aang's relationship, as well as Zuko and Mai's. He wanted to see his nephew with that beautiful waterbender, ever since he and the Avatar had entered the Catacombs of old Bah Sing Se two years ago. It was a wish left unspoken and was one he wished would have happened. He liked the young lady more than Mai. He remembered how happy Zuko was when he and Katara spent time together after the war and when she left, she took his happiness with her. Mai could never make him that happy. When the time was close to his birthday celebration, he became more excited with every day that went past. His happiness perked up especially when Katara and her brother arrived yesterday afternoon and Iroh had noticed.

That proved it. They had to be together. She didn't look right standing beside the young Avatar. They looked like two pieces from two very different puzzles, ones that would just not _fit_, no matter how hard one tried to put them together_._ But when she stands beside Zuko, they look whole and the puzzle appears _complete_. He had to think of ways to get them together and distract Lady Mai and Avatar Aang, and he had to think of one soon. Then he got it. Katara would go get Zuko.

"Sokka, would you be so kind and go find Zuko for me. I wonder why he slept in this morning, it's not like him." He looked swiftly in Katara's direction. He hoped this idea of his would work. He tried to look as innocent as possible, so that no one would assume anything.

"But I'm still eating my breakfast," he replied, everyone but Toph looked down at his empty plate. He noticed it was empty too and quickly grabbed the closest thing to him. The piece of fruit he got was one which he found absolutely disgusting. "Mmm, t-that's so good," he choked out.

"Sokka, don't be rude," Katara said as she slapped his upper arm. Aang and Toph snicked. It was funny hearing Katara and Sokka argue about the littlest things, and when Suki bossed him around was even more amusing, because he does everything she tells him. "Go get Zuko, now!" Katara continued.

"NO! Do you not see me eating something, Katara?" he shot her a glare and took another bite. Across, the table Iroh hid his amusement. He knew Katara would get up and fetch Zuko herself to make up for her embarrassment towards her lazy brother.

"Ugh, fine I'll go get him," Iroh inwardly smiled. _Perfect. _She stood up and scowled at her brother, before stomping across the room and out the door. He knew that asking Sokka wouldn't raise the slightest bit of suspicion, because the siblings were the closest to the door. Katara offered to go get Zuko, just like he knew she would. He was already aware that Sokka would not go. Things really were working out, so far. He just hoped that the luck would stay with him until he got the two to confess their feelings. He saw the way the young girl looked at his nephew, the way she smiled wider and looked happier when Zuko was around. She even had that bright spark in her eyes, when he smiled at her. It was then followed by a blush and a dreamy looking gaze. He saw the way Zuko watched her when she wasn't looking. He never even glanced in Mai's direction when Katara was around. Iroh hoped Mai saw it too, like he did. He also hoped she would get the message. It would make things a lot easier on him, being the old man he was, it meant less work. But he also hoped that Mai wouldn't do anything about it. _She could ruin everything. _He thought_. So could Aang._

Needless to say, the retired general knew exactly where his nephew was. Everyone else thought he was asleep. But Iroh knew better because he went to see Zuko earlier that morning. Before he could leave the Fire Lord's bedroom chambers, Zuko had informed him that he would be arriving late to breakfast because he was taking a shower. He told his uncle that everyone could begin without him. He knew that Zuko would be getting out of the shower by now and who should walk in to his chambers but Katara. He felt like jumping up and down in glee.

Beside him, Lady Ursa saw everything. _Oh what is that Iroh up to now?_ She wondered to herself.

* * *

Katara was strolling through the Fire Nation Palace, making her way to Zuko's quarters. _Didn't he rise with the sun? How could he have slept so late?_ She asked herself. Katara sure hoped that the other boys had nothing to do with it. Surely if there was some sort of guy get-together going on last night, she and the girls would have noticed. _Stupid Sokka,_ she thought. She always had to do everything for him. She passed many hallways and doors on her way. It was always a wonder to her how she never got lost in this gigantic palace. When she reached the double doors to the royal chambers, she rapped the door loudly. No sound. She sighed.

"Zuko, wake up, everyone is waiting for you at breakfast," she called out. She then shut her mouth and listened, trying to make out if there was any noise coming from the other side of the double doors. There was none. Her hand reached out to one of its handles, she quickly turned the knob and walked in.

She closed the door after she entered then spun around to face the room. "Zuko...?" she started to say, but stopped herself. In front of her were three individual rooms, each door was closed. She guessed that the middle one was where the bed would be located. Hopefully, it would be the right one.

She walked the few steps to the door and twisted the knob open. She looked around the dimly lit room. She couldn't see much so she walked to the large curtained windows, where small beams of sunlight could be seen, and pulled the gold patterned curtains open. Her eyes automatically squinted shut. She blinked a few times, getting her eyes used to the sudden amount of light. She looked back to the direction of the bed. The bed had tangled sheets everywhere, but it was empty. _Where is he?_ She thought. Her gaze focused on the rest of the room. She tried to see if she could locate him somewhere else in the huge bedroom.

The room was beautiful. Its walls were black, while the bedroom's items were all different shades of red and gold. They were all Fire Nation colours. There was a huge mirror standing in the corner and beside it was a large wardrobe. A couple of very different, but very beautiful wall hangings were on the plain black walls. There was another door, which she guessed, was probably the bathroom. Katara looked at the bed again. It was a few feet away from where she was standing. She could tell that the bed sheets were made from the finest silks. It looked really inviting. She wondered how soft and comfy the bed would be. She wished for a moment that she could jump and down on the gigantic bed, using it as her own personal trampoline. Since the room was empty, she strode the short distance towards the bed. Katara reached out a hand and touched the soft fabric. It was so smooth and shiny. The light of the sun made the fabric shine in different hues of red.

The sixteen year old was in her own thoughts and didn't hear the door of the bathroom open, a half naked Zuko walking out, the only cover being the plain red towel wrapped tightly around his lower body. He strolled into the room humming a tune, not noticing that Katara was in the room too.

The girl wasn't paying attention, so her head jerked up suddenly when she heard the soft humming. Her eyes went wide when she noticed Zuko's figure walking across the room. She gasped.

He was half-naked. His hair glistening with drops of water. Her eyes followed where the water dropped from his hair, down to his well toned shoulders and then to his nicely formed abdomen. She had an intake of breath. His body was _hot._ _No,_ she thought, _it wasn't just his body. It was all of __him._ Those intense golden eyes, the silky black hair that was just the right length (well it looked silky to her, she never had the opportunity of running her fingers through it, though she wished she could have), and his perfect ivory skin, all of it was hot. Everything about him was just so _right. _She couldn't think of a better word to describe it. She noticed she was staring. She couldn't keep her eyes off him. Being a water bender didn't help her either. She could practically _feel _every single bead of water on his skin. She could feel the direction of the water when it moved from once place to another. And she couldn't help it. His body was worth looking at.

Zuko froze when he heard a gasp. He turned his head in the direction of the sound and saw Katara standing there, wide eyed. Shock clearly visible on her heart-shaped face, but then it shifted and turned into... _interest?_ Her eyes followed the little droplets of water that fell from his hair, down to his shoulders and chest. _Is she checking me out? _He felt his cheeks redden.

When she felt his eyes land on her form, she took her own off his body and looked up at his face and into his golden orbs. His face was reddened. She then noticed what she had just done and felt her cheeks tint pink in embarrassment. He had seen her starting at him. For a moment, neither spoke.

Then Zuko decided to break the silence. "See something you like?" he asked her smugly. She took her gaze off him and he noticed that her face had become a darker shade of pink. The colour looked very pretty with her skin. Seeing her embarrassment made him outwardly grin. It was like she had just noticed his well developed muscles. _Was she not there, two years ago, when I was training?_ He thought.

When she didn't answer, he decided to ask her one more question, keen that the question would get her to react. "Were you waiting outside my bathroom to try and catch me in a ___towel__?" _he questioned and lifted his body temperature. The heat collided with the water and made steam appear on the outside of his body. He could feel the droplets go dry and could hear the hiss of the steam. He was pretty sure Katara could hear too. He wanted it that way. He stood there and watched her reaction.

Meanwhile, Katara was mentally cursing herself for being caught. Why was she starring? She hadn't meant it, it just happened. She cursed herself again. The shower was open, how could she have missed it? Whether it was the dripping sound or the water splashing on the bathroom floor, she didn't hear either. She should have noticed at least one thing. What kind of water bender did that make her?

Zuko's question had caught her off guard. She turned her head and looked up at him with an eyebrow raised. Then she saw Zuko's steamy body. _Oh boy_, she thought. _He just had to do that._ _Damn fire bender._ Keeping her eyes from roaming his body was hard enough before. She tried her best to focus on just his face.

The idiot was grinning. It was like he enjoyed the idea of torturing her! She had a boyfriend, for La's sake! _Focus Katara!_

"I'm sorry," she began, "I never knew you were so self obsessed. I'll just leave and let you have some time alone with the mirror in the corner." Two could play at this game. She just hoped that the snide remark would work. "Everyone is waiting for you by the way," she said as she walked past him and headed for the door.

He had watched her leave, frozen on the spot. _Was she playing hard to get? I sure didn't image her intense gaze... _He was happy with the attention he got from her, that much he knew. He noticed he was still starring at the door. He sighed and continued walking to his huge closest. Once he was changed, he exited his quarters and started to make his way down to the dining room. He then remembered where Katara was standing when he noticed she was in the room. _Why was her hand on my bed? _He made a mental note to ask her later, when they were alone again.

* * *

**(A/N: Iroh and his plans. Cheeky old man! I agree with him though xD *wishes Mai and Aang don't ruin everything*. **

**Please review!)**


	2. Chapter 2: Breakfast

**(A/N: I just want to say thank you to everyone who either put this story on their alerts list, favourites list, or reviewed.)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own ALTA. If I was the owner the ending would have been a Zutara moment not Kataang!! How could they do that to us Zutara fans?! Anyway, Enjoy Chapter two and don't forget to Review! Thx! (:**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Breakfast**

The large double doors creaked open, and all heads turned towards the door. Standing there, tall and proud, was no other than Fire Lord Zuko himself. He looked down at everyone seated at the dining table and began to address them.

"Good morning everyone," he said politely, whilst bowing. "I apologise for not being here on time." He walked to the head of the table and took his seat. "How does everyone like the food?" he asked, grinning. "I hope you all began to eat without me," he reached out for a piece of fruit and took a bite. "Mmm, rather tasty today, don't you think?" he took another bite, chewing then swallowing it. "How are you this morning, mother? I heard you were still not used to being back home."

The room was silent. Everyone was staring at him, dumbfounded.

First thing Iroh did, was look back towards Katara. She was no longer looking at his nephew. Her gaze was cast downwards. A light rosy tint coloured her cheeks. He turned his head towards Zuko again, who was still grinning. _So,_ he thought happily. _Something did happen_. His nephew had never asked so many questions at breakfast before. He usually _did not_ want to know about how everyone was doing or whether they enjoyed the food. The Zuko he knew awoke in a very grumpy mood, grumbled a hello to everyone, and quickly ate the food on his plate, before finally stalking out of the dining room. Even their most recent guests got to see Zuko like this. It was probably why he, Mai and Ursa weren't the only ones looking at him like that.

Iroh turned his head towards the two ladies in question, who also usually joined him and Zuko for breakfast. Mai's face had now returned to its usual stoic mask, recovering from the shock. But Ursa, looked at Zuko with an eyebrow raised. She wordlessly looked at every feature of his face. Her suspicion towards Zuko's behaviour was clearly written across her face. By looking at her, Iroh could tell that she knew something was up. As if feeling his eyes on her, she turned her head towards him now.

Slowly shaking her head from side to side, she looked into Iroh's eyes to make sure he was paying attention. "_You have a lot of explaining to do,"_ she mouthed. She couldn't whisper to him, she was sure that Zuko would hear it. He nodded to show that he understood her. He wondered to himself what Ursa would think about all this. Whether she would help him, or try to stop him.

"That's nonsense Zuko," Ursa said, answering Zuko's question. "I am fine. I love my home. I would never feel uncomfortable here, especially with you around darling." Zuko looked up at his mother, pleased with the answer she gave him. He had been worried for a while now, after hearing the news while passing the kitchens. He had never had the confidence to ask his mother, until today. Zuko noticed that all eyes were on him, except for Katara's.

_Why is everyone staring at me?_ Zuko mentally asked himself. He looked around the table, at everyone, and then turned his gaze back towards Katara. She was sitting in the seat at the other end of the table, directly in front of him. The event in the bedroom came rushing back to his mind and he felt his checks go red. He cast his eyes down towards his plate and away from her. His uncle then broke the heavy silence, and Zuko mentally thanked the gods.

"Uh... Zuko?" he started to say.

"Yes, Uncle?" asked Zuko. Iroh cleared his throat.

"Did you sleep well, nephew?" Iroh tried very hard not to show amusement in his voice, but knew he failed when Zuko, Ursa and Katara looked towards him, and he couldn't help the wide smile that spread across his face. Katara went even redder, if possible, and both she and Zuko averted their gaze from him, Katara from embarrassment, and Zuko from confusion.

How exactly was Zuko supposed to answer that? He knew his uncle had implied something else, since he already asked him the same thing when he came to talk to him earlier. He thought back to his morning, and suddenly remembered the intense stare Katara gave him. And grinned now knowing exactly what his uncle had implied.

_Ah, so uncle was the reason Katara was in my bedroom earlier. Great, my own uncle is plotting against me. Who knows what will happen. The whole world is forever doomed. _Zuko thought. He recalled smugly, again, how Katara couldn't keep her eyes off him. _Or maybe not, _he continued thinking._ That brilliant man had gotten Katara in my bedroom. The world was most certainly not doomed. _Zuko smiled and continued thinking about how his uncle's plot had gotten Katara into the most _unexpected_ situation. A situation that he found rather, _interesting_. It seemed that his mother was a part of it as well, since she smiled widely now too.

"Yes, uncle, I slept very well," Iroh watched as his nephew cast his eyes towards Katara. And then he grinned once again that morning. "Best sleep I've had in a while," Zuko never took his eyes off Katara.

Aang watched as Zuko stared at Katara. A frown came across the Avatar's face. He suddenly felt very angry. He did not like the way his friend was looking at _his_ girlfriend. He was with Mai, and yet there he was, staring at Katara like an idiot. _What, was one girl not enough to satisfy him? _The young Avatar thought to himself. He had noticed that after the war, Zuko and Katara had spent a lot of time together, much to his annoyance and jealousy. Aang shifted his gaze from Zuko to Katara. He noticed with wide eyes, that she was blushing. Did she know Zuko was looking at her? Was that the reason she was blushing? She didn't even blush like that with him! He was furious. Zuko wasn't going to take her away from him, not now, not ever. He wasn't going to just sit there and let it happen. He was going to do something about it. The jealousy got the best of him.

Aang cleared his throat. "Hey Mai, I heard from some people that you and Zuko have gotten engaged." It was true. He had heard it. Each of the noble women he passed was talking about it. The servants and other staff were gossiping about it too. He wasn't going to let Zuko just sit there and stare at _his_ girlfriend, whilst grinning like the moron he looked like. The person he was rumoured to be engaged with was sitting right beside him! And oh how his words worked wonderfully. Zuko stiffened, slightly chocking on the final bite he took. A shocked expression came across his face. Aang was outwardly smiling, liking the amount of discomfort Zuko was in. He turned his head towards Katara just in time to see her jerk up swiftly. Her eyes were wide with confusion and hurt, the blush no longer coloured her cheeks. Her questioning gaze was directed at Zuko. The Avatar's smile faded.

Mai looked questionably at the boy, not noticing the hurt expression on the face of the boy's girlfriend. "No, Avatar," though Mai wished it were true. Of course, she knew that she would indeed become Fire Lady one day. It was only a matter of time now. She _was _the one dating the Fire Lord. _Who else would he propose to?_ She thought, self-assuredly.

Mai still found it hard to call everyone by their names. It wasn't just the Avatar; it was everyone besides the Royal Family. She moved her hand to where Zuko's hand was, and encircled his hand with hers. "But who knows, Zuko could propose to me this afternoon," she smiled up at him. His hand tensed in hers.

"Mai..." he whispered cautiously, low enough for her ears only. He removed his hand from under hers and placed it in his lap. He turned his head towards Aang and glared at the Avatar. Mai had started to talk about the subject of marriage, for a while now. He avoided the subject like a plague. He would always cut her off, and change the subject. In truth, he wasn't ready for that kind of commitment just yet. He wasn't even sure that Mai was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. She was his first _official_ girlfriend. He wasn't even sure that Jin counted as a girlfriend. They only went on one date. So he wasn't sure that it meant he was going to love Mai forever.

Iroh cleared his throat once again. There was so much heavy tension in the room. He wasn't happy that the Avatar had brought it up either. He heard the rumours too. The minute he heard the gossip, he confronted Zuko about the rumoured engagement. Luckily, his nephew had planned no such thing.

A chair screeched across the floor and all heads turned to see Katara standing.

"I'm going to go practise my bending," she announced. "Excuse me." She bowed, and rose to stand straight once again, then walked away from the group seated at the table.

Iroh watched, for the second time this morning, as Katara walked out of those doors.

"Tea, anyone?" he asked, his cheerful mood now gone. The avatar was wrecking everything already. He had to do something about him, and soon.

The group chorused a "No." Then Ursa opened her mouth to speak.

"Iroh, would you mind accompanying me, dear friend? I feel like a walk in the gardens and I miss those turtleducks as well." She rose from her seat, quietly pushing it back towards the table.

"Yes, Lady Ursa. A walk in the garden would be lovely. I need to stretch these old bones anyway." Iroh got up and followed suit.

"If anyone wants me, I'll be in my study," Zuko told everyone, also getting up from his seat. The retired looked sympathetically at his nephew, who was now saddened due to the fact of Katara's sudden leave. Trust the Avatar to ruin everyone's happy moods. "I have a lot of work to do."

Mai got up too. "I'll walk you there, Zuko."

"No thank you," he said, raising a hand to stop her where she was. "I need to stop by somewhere along the way."

She and the rest watched the family go. Sokka broke the silence, "I wonder what all that was about," Toph snorted, and Suki sighed, placing a hand on her forehead. Aang's face darkened. Mai unfroze herself from the spot she was rooted, and made her way to the doors, leaving the rest at the table to stare at her retreating figure.

Ty lee ran after her. "Wait, Mai!"

"How can you be so blind Snoozles?" Toph asked Sokka when Ty Lee closed the door after leaving with Mai.

"What? What makes me blind?" He didn't get what the master earth bender was getting at. She just sighed in response. Haru and Teo looked at each other, not quite getting it either. The three kyoshi warriors, however, all had saddened expressions on their faces. They clearly got it.

Aang got up. "I'm going to go find Katara," he told everyone.

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea," Suki told him, and before he could reply and ask her why Toph said,

"Yea, Twinkle Toes. Just let her be for a while."

"Why?" he asked them, looking from one girl to another. Toph smacked her forehead in retort. Suki sighed again.

"Guys," sighed Hiroko, the Kyoshi Warrior that was sitting next to Ty Lee.

"They just don't," continued the warrior next to her, the one named Midori.

"Get it," finished Sumi.

The guys just looked at the three. What didn't they get?

"Ok, since seeing Katara isn't a good time right now, I'm going to ride Appa." Aang said. "Does anyone want to come? The boys shook their heads 'no' so he looked at the girls.

"I'm not going. My feet are perfectly fine being on the ground." Toph told him. Suki shook her head 'no' as well.

"I'll think I'll go explore the place with Sokka," she said. So he turned to the three girls who hadn't given him an answer yet. They all looked excited.

"I would love to!" said Sumi, clapping her hands together.

"Same here," Hiroko said with a wide grin.

"Guess I'll go too," Midori told him. And with that, Aang and the Kyoshi Warriors went towards the stables, while Sokka and Suki walked hand in hand, in the other direction.

The only people remaining in the dinning room were Toph, Teo and Haru. A minute went by before Toph broke the silence,

"You guys wanna spar?" Toph asked the two remaining boys.

"You two go ahead," Teo told them. "I'm still hungry, all that commotion kept me from having a decent meal." His stomach grumbled, right on cue.

"Okay," Haru told him. "Come meet us when you're done. Let's go Toph."

Toph and Haru walked out the room, leaving Teo on his own. Toph led Haru to a training ground that was the opposite of where Katara was. The girl had company, and she didn't want to interrupt their conversation. Heck, they need the talk. Bad.

She sighed again. This thing sure was complicated. Sometimes, she really hated knowing everything. Their heartbeats were driving her crazy. How could Sokka and the guys not notice something had always been going on between Sugar Queen and Sparky? Even Twinkle Toes obviously sensed something. He was really angry towards Katara's reaction on the news of the so called engagement. She had to admit, Sweetness and Hotman had the worst luck.

* * *

**(A/N: Hiroko means generous, Midori means green, and the name Sumi means the refined one. These are all Japanese names. Guess who Katara's talking to! I bet you all know. Next chapter up soon!)**


	3. Chapter 3: Two Is Better Than One

A/N: Here it is! Chapter 3! Sooooo sorry for the long wait guys! Hopefully you're all still with me. So much has been happening. Also, I was trying to increase the word count for my chapter.

R.I.P John Wisniewski. Gone But Not Forgotten. Bless His Soul.

Chapter 3: Two Is Better Than One

A soft breeze gently caressed her exposed skin, and ruffled her soft black coloured hair as Ursa lead the retired general to her most favourite place in the palace grounds, the turtleduck pond. The weather was good this morning. The bright sun shone down on the two, and Ursa looked up at the cloudless sky. Since her and Iroh were now alone, she could now begin to voice her thoughts. She turned her head slightly so she could look at her Brother In-Law. He stood tall and proud, keeping his gaze forward and his hands placed behind his back.

"Iroh, I've noticed your hidden smiles, and that mischievous glint in your eyes. Now, dear friend, what are you trying to do?" Iroh cringed. He tried to avoid looking at her. Ursa always got right to the point.

"Dear Ursa," he started softly, still keeping his gaze from meeting hers. He could see that she was looking at him from the corner of his eyes. "Please allow me to finish speaking before you say anything." He told her nervously, she nodded a yes, allowing him to continue.

"Well, it has come to my attention that the relationship between my nephew and the young waterbender is slowly changing. It looks as if it's heading beyond friendship, and turning into something more. I'm trying to get them to see things they should be already seeing, but they are choosing to ignore it, and are choosing to be blind. It has been two years Ursa, and a lot has happened. I have never seen your son so happy." He told her.

"Iroh, you shouldn't be meddling with things that do not concern you," Ursa said, her tone disapproving. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"But Ursa, have you seen the way he looks at her, or how happy he is when she's around? He's never like that with Mai! Did you not see or feel the tension in the room after the Avatar announced the engagement that never even happened? Did you not see the way she left and the sad look in her eyes that tells us that maybe she's realised something! Are you blinding yourself as well Ursa?" He questioned, trying to make her see sense as his rant came out sounding rather close to a child who couldn't get what they wanted. Instead of answering, she asked,

"What do you think she has realised Iroh?" She asked him softly in an understanding tone, but with a curious edge to it. Her gaze never wandered from his face. Iroh sighed.

"That it's only a matter of time before the engagement does actually happen. Zuko is with Mai, and she's with the Avatar, if we don't go do something about it soon, then it's only a matter of time before something like that does happen. Dear Agni, the Avatar is almost fifteen Ursa, and I know with no doubt that the boy will propose the second her turns a year older. If they come to realise their feelings years later, Ursa, when each is already married to the ones they're with at the moment, it could hurt their loved ones more than it could now. They could hurt a lot more. Do you want your son to be unhappy for the rest of his life? Or do you want him to be the happiest he could possibly be? He came only be that happy with Katara which is the exact reason why I'm trying to do something about it. I don't want my nephew to suffer. I've already heard some of the agreement him and Mai have had, I don't want more stress on him." He concluded his long speech. He was rather surprised though that Ursa had not once interrupted him. He took that as a good sign. He turned his head towards her.

She looked down at her feet, a frown crossed her face. Iroh mentally pleaded with the spirits to help him. He hoped that he had convinced her. She knew about his plans, there was no going back now. She either helped him, or demolished his plans.

"Alright Iroh," Yesss! He thought. And for the second time that day, he felt like jumping up and down in glee, and it was still early! Iroh grinned, and then quickly straightened his face. He did not want to change her mind.

"Oh, Ursa! Thank you so much! You won't know how much this will mean to Zuko. I'm sure we can distract Mai and Aang. Oh, you have to see what I have planned." He rambled on. His voice had a happy edge to it, which he tried to control, but failed.

Ursa shook her head, he sounded like a child with a sugar overdose. And then she heard something.

"Iroh," she hissed, stopping the rambling. "Shh, can you hear that?" He closed his mouth and listened, at first not getting what he was supposed to be hearing. And then he did. Two people were laughing. It was his nephew and the waterbender. He could tell. Firstly because, he knew what the two sounded like when they laughed and secondly, this was the kind of situation that has happened before, one where he happened to walk past. To him, they always sounded really happy. He still wondered why the rest could not see it. This was the exact reason he was trying to make Ursa see why. He grinned. So, Zuko had followed her out, had he?

"Iroh, follow me, and stay hidden," Ursa quietly murmured. Iroh just looked at her, dumbfounded. "Come on!" she impatiently whispered, grabbing his wrist and pulling him behind her when he still hadn't moved. She let go when he was able to move his legs again, the shock leaving him. Sure, he knew that Ursa was now a part of the plans, but for her to take the lead, desperately trying to see what was going on, and risking getting caught, eavesdropping? Her actions surprised him.

The two stalked soundlessly through the large garden. Hiding behind trees, bushes and any other object they came across, as long as it was thick enough to hide them both. The two adults kept away from any broken twigs and anything else that would make a noise. As they got closer, they could now hear their playful banter, as well as the now louder laughter. Maybe if Ursa got to see how much they were comfortable around each other, and how the heavy tension could be easily lifted when they were alone, it would make her more involved and more willing to help. Iroh thought that she didn't seem too pleased about agreeing to it a moment ago.

They stopped and stayed hidden once they reached the end of the bridge. They could now hear everything clearly, as well as being able to see both teenagers. Ursa heart melted at the sight. There they were, sitting together, holding hands. Their closeness had surprised her. When Iroh said that things had changed between the two, looking at them now, she could clearly see that he was right. In the year she had been living back at the Royal Palace, she had never seen Zuko and Mai do such a simple thing, yet here he was smiling down at the waterbender, Katara, whilst she held his hand in hers.

Zuko slowly walked out of the dining room. He was thinking about how much he hated the Avatar at that moment. He couldn't forget the hurt look that came across Katara's face. Waiting for the moment he approached the corner, he turned and started sprinting, picking his pace up, and headed in the direction he first saw Katara walk. He did not want anyone from breakfast to hear his hasty steps, that's why he waited until the corner approached before picking his pace up. A figure in blue caught his attention, and he skidded to a stop. Katara was heading towards the royal gardens. He stopped to think for a second, and then continued following her out of the palace. The palace gardens were the perfect place for him to talk to her alone. It was the only place in this entire palace where he could have some privacy. Apart from his private quarters of course.

It turned out that the garden she was walking to, happened to be his favourite garden, the one with the large pond and the turtleducks. He continued to silently follow her until she sat on the soft green grass in front of the pond. She raised her right hand and a ribbon of water rose from the pond. He leaned against the tree, his eyes following the movement of her hands and the water she controlled.

He just stood there for a while, watching her waterbend, in complete silence. It was so peaceful and relaxing.

"Hey," he greeted her, breaking the silence and startling her. She dropped her control over the water and held her hand over her heart.

"Zuko, you startled me!" She hissed, getting up from her spot on the grass. "What are you doing out here anyway? She cast her eyes down to her feet.

"Isn't it oblivious? I followed you out." He uncrossed his arms, and placed them on either side of his body. She looked up at him again, not saying anything. "Katara, why was your hand on my bed this morning?" He was rather curious, and had spent most of his time during breakfast thinking about the reason why her hand was placed there. He also did not want to bring up the marriage proposal that had upset her. The timing seemed right. She blushed and looked away. The soft pink colour contrasted nicely with her tan skin.

"Well, um, you see..." she started, struggling to voice her thoughts. What am I supposed to tell him? She inaudibly asked herself. Well, Zuko I like your sheets. They look warm and comfortable and I was touching them to get a feel of the material, it was really shinny in the sunlight. Your bed is huge, is it really bouncy? I wondered what it was like to jump onto it. Did you know that my favourite colour is red? She in-audibly rambled, closing her eyes. She didn't know what to say. Her reasons sounded stupid and rather childish.

Zuko stood there, watching her mentally fight with herself. The reason he could tell was because she failed to answer him and she also had the most hilarious expression on her face. He knew she was thinking. He wondered if he looked like that when he was doing the same.

"I have a few ideas," he told her. She opened her eyes and looked at him curiously. "But, before I share them, can I just ask why you were the one who had to come get me for breakfast?"

"You're asking a lot of questions today Zuko," she quietly told him.

"Quit avoiding the subject just because u saw me half naked and wet. Besides, I'm got getting an answer from you any way so next question it is." She just looked at him for a minute then started talking.

"Well actually, General Iroh asked Sokka to go get you, but he told your uncle that he was eating, and there wasn't even anything on his plate! When everyone looked at his empty plate, he gets a piece of fruit, and starts choking on it. He hates that fruit any way. So, I ended up volunteering." She paused for a second then continued, grinning at him.

"How does that make you feel, oh so mighty Fire Lord? That Sokka would rather choke on his least favourite fruit rather than come get you?" A grin crossed her delicate features.

"Oh that just tells me that your brother was lazier than I thought he could ever be." She giggled and he smiled. It was so good to see her happy again. He liked it when she said things about his title, even though at the moment she was just teasing. It made him feel powerful, like he could do anything. He really did feel mighty when he was around her. I wonder why it's not like this with Mai, he thought. His smile faded, and his eyebrows furrowed, and he looked down. Katara saw the change in his expression, and she walked and stood in front of him. She put her hand underneath his chin, lifting his head so she could look him in eye. When he was looking back at her, she moved her hand and put it on his shoulder instead.

"Zuko, what's wrong?" He turned his face away from her for a minute, and then turned back to her, looking into her eyes again. Her cerulean eyes were beautiful. He could get lost in them if he stared too long.

"I'm not going to marry Mai," he whispered. Katara looked at him, confused. She then moved her hand away from him, and looked at the floor.

"Why? She started, takign a step back. "She's your girlfriend Zuko. You have to get married. It's one of your duties as Fire Lord." He didn't want this subject to continue. The things she was telling him were the same things he was asking himself, every day. Mai was his girlfriend, and he loved her, so why didn't he want to marry her? Why did he not look forward to spending the rest of his life with her by his side? His advisors repeatedly brought up the subject of marriage at every meeting. He knew he should have been at least engaged by now. He didn't know why, but he didn't feel like he had the courage to ask Mai to marry him. He wasn't even sure if he was ready for marriage. He wasn't even eighteen yet for Agni's sake! Sure, his birthday was coming up, and that's the reason everyone was together at the palace... but still.

"So why were you touching my bed this morning," he said, changing the subject again and giving her chance to answer his earlier question before he told her his ideas. He placed a fake smile on his face. He didn't feel happy at the moment, so he couldn't give her a genuine one. She sighed and took a step forward, standing in front of him once again. She outstretched her hand to him and took his hand in hers, before he could protest or say anything. In a quick blur, she dragged him towards the tree and she was seated on the grass once more, him beside her. They were both shaded by the tree he had leaned on earlier. She let go of his hand.

"Don't put that mask on Zuko, I can see right through it. Stop changing subjects, and wipe that fake smile right off your face." He was astonished. She saw right through him. She always did. He couldn't believe he had forgotten that already. She wasn't even gone for that long. She looked up at him with those big eyes again.

"Tell me," she pleaded when he stayed silent. After not receiving an answer, she sighed and took his hand in hers, once again.

"Don't shut me out like you do with everyone else, tell me what's wrong." He looked down at their joined hands. Her skin was cool and its texture smooth. Holding her hand felt natural, he didn't even know why she held his hand in his again. He looked up from their joining hands and into her eyes again.

"I'm very confused," he confessed, then audibly sighed. "I don't know what to do," he murmured quietly, looking away from her.

"About what, Zuko?" she quietly asked.

"Mai," he whispered back. "I mean," his voice got louder. "Everyone expects me to propose to her! And I just can't! She's the first girlfriend I've had! I've only been on a couple dates before that, so how am I supposed to know that she's the one? The council says that I should have at least been engaged by now, they bring marriage up every single time we have a meeting and my advisors remind me a couple of times a day!" He told her, clearly frustrated.

"Zuko," she started calmly. "If you don't feel that this is the right thing to do, than simply don't do it." He opened his mouth to object, but she cut him off. "People, no matter who they are, shouldn't rush you. I mean, you're their leader for crying out loud! The most powerful man in the nation! If your advisors don't listen to you, who are they going to listen to Zuko?" She paused, allowing her words to sink in. "You tell them what to do, you tell them what's right and if you think that a rushed marriage isn't right, don't get married." She finished, still looking at him.

He looked down in concentration, obviously thinking his options through. After a few minutes pause, he looked up at her once more.

"You're right." He started, letting go of her hand as she hid her confusing disappointment. Holding his warm hand had felt rather nice. "You're absolutely right," His hands came up to her face as he placed them on both of her checks, holding her face in his soft grasp. The young Fire Lord then suddenly stood and turned his back towards her before she could process what was happening. "I'm not going to just sit here and let them order me around; I should be the one ordering!" He exclaimed. He whipped around, facing her then grabbed both her hands in his, bringing her to a standing position.

"Come on, I bet everyone is looking for us. I have a meeting to go to as well." He told her, clearly not pleased, as he began walking back to the Palace with her in tow, two pairs of eyes watching their retreat.

"Uh... O-okay," she stuttered back, trying to keep up with his now quickened pace.

Ursa stood there speechless, her mouth gaping open in a un-lady like fashion. After the two teens had disappeared he was watching her reaction to what had just happened. She then looked at him, still not producing any words. She started to say something, then cut herself off and turned her gaze back to the space under the tree which was just occupied.

"Okay, something has to be done about this." She finally concluded. Iroh grinned. This would be a little bit easier with her helping.

"I advise that we return to the castle like them," he told her looked back at the palace doors where they had disappeared a few moments ago.

"Lead the way," He looked back at her when he heard the change in her tone. A devilish grin was widely spread across her face and her eyes glinted with something he had not seen previously. Mischief.

A/N: Not As Long As I Had Hoped, But I'm Tired. It's Currently 4.a.m. D=

I Promise To Write More As I Post More Up. My Final Year Of High School Has Began So I Will Be Busy For The Rest Of The Year And Most Of The Following Year But I Will Try To Write In My Free Time and Hopefully Get A Chapter Up Each Weekend. Bair With Me. x_x

I Will Also Be Writing A Songfic Named When The Day Met The Night. :D It's By Panic! At The Disco. P.S Do You Guys Want Me To Keep It At A "T" Rating?

Next Chapter of Things Don't Always Go As Planned Is Next. Toph's turn. :D


End file.
